Tupac and Mozart in ONE

Collecting Records

College kids,

I was wondering if you guys knew anything about collecting old vinyl records and what advantages does it have over CD's or mp3's.

Tom
24 years old
Long Beach, CA


Tom,

Well Tom, fortunately for you college kid Sisson and I are somewhat experts on DJing and finding records. So without further adieu let me introduce you to the world of record collecting...

In this day in age many people do not appreciate the soft natural sound that records can provide. Because records are analog instead of digital they can capture a more richer sound compared to most mp3's and CD's. This is because the grooves of the record emulate the exact wavelengths of the song. A record can hold as many wavelengths as it needs with no restrictions. When you convert analog to digital you are only copying thousands of small pieces of the audio, but you are not actually copying the "entire" song. Because of this you do not get the softer sound that vinyl can provide. Converting to mp3 will only make the situation worse because you are reducing the quality of the track to save space.

Despite the sound differences, one could easily argue that CD's and i pod's are much more convenient than carrying around records all day. In this case, they would be correct, but what they do not understand is that collecting records is not about convenience. It is about an experience. It is about owning something with history. For example, that Grateful Dead record in your basement may have been played at your dads graduation party. You mom probably listened to those Elton John records all the time when she was a teenager. Regardless of what they were used for, what is important, is that they meant something to the people who owned them, and the same should go for you.

When it comes to owning records, finding them is half the fun. Most chain music stores do not sell vinyl, but many locally owned stores do. Depending on where you live, finding record shops may require you and you friends to take a mini road trip. It may be a long ride, but trust me it will be worth it. Here are some cool record shops I found around the country:

• Spinnakers Records - Massachusetts
• Princeton Record Exchange - New Jersey
• Amobea Music - California
• Backspin Records - Texas
• Corner Record Shop - Michigan
  

If you can not find anything in your area remember that there are many good websites and stores on eBay.

If anyone has more specific questions on record collecting, DJing, or scratching, please feel free to leave a question.

Cheers,

The College kids